<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Cream and Two Sugars by bearinapotatosack</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28989282">Cream and Two Sugars</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bearinapotatosack/pseuds/bearinapotatosack'>bearinapotatosack</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>McChapel [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Trek, Star Trek: The Original Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Background Relationships, Crushes, Developing Relationship, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Kissing, M/M, Romantic Fluff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 09:54:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,767</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28989282</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bearinapotatosack/pseuds/bearinapotatosack</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Leonard McCoy and Christine Chapel know they hold feelings for the other. But who will admit this first?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Christine Chapel/Leonard "Bones" McCoy, James T. Kirk/Spock</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>McChapel [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2090157</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Cream and Two Sugars</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sickbay was quiet, something he would never say aloud due to the infamous rule of "Never say it's quiet because it soon won't be". They'd done all the physicals, the check-ups and the shots, in fact, he was quite surprised at how quickly they could get work done with a day away from emergencies and a crew that would cooperate. </p><p>Leonard was trying to get some work done, trying being the opulent word. Christine had just come back from the labs, where she'd been working on some project just to keep up her skills from the long lost days of her scientific career. </p><p>Her hair was up today, he could see the lack of tension in her neck. She was behind him now and whistling a tune to herself as she wrote up her findings. </p><p>He tried to look back at his PADD to read the report but the words muddled together into the same scribbled nonsense. She stood up behind him and grabbed his mug, her perfume swirled around his head. He gulped.</p><p>"Len," She was the only one allowed to call him that. "Coffee?"</p><p>"Yeah, but without all that cream and sugar shit you put in yours," </p><p>"I have my tastes and you have yours,"</p><p>He scoffed, "Taste's one thing, masking that taste is another,"</p><p>The mugs clicked in her hand as she placed them under the duel-stream coffee maker inset into the wall. She started to hum just as she replied, "Just because you have to consume everything as bitter as your soul, doesn't mean I do,"</p><p>With that he shot up, discarding the stylus onto his desk as he rushed across the room to her side. He heard her breath catch in her throat as his warming cologne, her floral perfume and the steaming coffee scents all mixed. </p><p>Christine had held his interest for a few months now and he had a sneaking suspicion that she did too. He knew there was a possibility she didn't, that her heart still belonged somewhat to Spock. But now the first officer was wholeheartedly in love with the Captain he thought he might have a chance.</p><p>"I think we both know my soul ain't as bitter as my coffee," He made sure his words stroked the exposed skin of her neck.</p><p>"I don't know, there's little evidence to say otherwise," </p><p>He feigned shock, "Little evidence, have you ever seen me being kind to a child, or one o'those ensigns barely out of the Academy. I think you'll find that I am a very considerate and gentle person-"</p><p>She started to prepare her coffee when he turned her around to look deeply in her blue eyes. They gulped in unison and smiled. Both of them knew they were being silly, all these comments and the severe lack of personal space between them.</p><p>"Well, you could've had me fooled,"</p><p>She leant in and closed her arms around his chest, taking his scent in with deep breaths. He returned her embrace but held back slightly, wanting to nuzzle and kiss her neck, rub circles into her back and hold her tight enough to never let her go. </p><p>"Come on Leonard, show me this gentle side of yourself you're so proud of," She said.</p><p>She pulled her head back and saw him pull away when she leant in to kiss him. That fiery thrill in her stomach dissipating immediately. Had she been wrong? Maybe she'd missed the signs or let her infatuation mask reality?</p><p>"Leonard, did I read this wrong?" </p><p>He stood a few steps away when she reached for him. His own fire turned sour, almost purple as guilt became the fuel.</p><p>"No, I-"</p><p>"No? Then why are you pushing me away? We both want this, what's stopping us?"</p><p>He didn't reply. All she got was a look of despair, a sad longing in his eyes. She'd waited for Roger to show her she was truly worthy of devotion but he couldn't. His research was his devotion, never her. Spock had caught her eye and her will but he too had a reason, although a much more valid and understandable reason, not to return her feelings. She couldn't be rejected again, not after she'd been given a whiff of Leonard's splendorous love.</p><p>"Is it Starfleet? Because I don't care about them, I've always told you that. They may have trained me as a nurse but they can't control who I share my affections with," She still got no reply. "Perhaps because you're my boss? Well we both know that you've never treated me as your subordinate, everyone is in this sickbay is equally as needed and equally as busy, that's what you always say,"</p><p>He shook his head and clenched his hands. His body tensed, he was holding himself back. </p><p>"Then what? I know the looks we've shared mean something, the jokes and he touches. So if you're not going to do something about it then I deserve to get a reason why!"</p><p>And with that, he exploded, "Because I'm ten years your senior! I've had time to live and screw up and train and have kids and be married and get divorced and chase the possibilities and you're just getting to the good part,"</p><p>"You're getting to the part where you might start experimenting with people differently, you know what you like but you want to know how you like it. You're right in the sweet spot of having all the opportunities to get promoted and train to get whatever role you choose. None of that should include settling with a crotchety old coot who doesn't know if he's gonna stay in Starfleet or go home or go somewhere else entirely." </p><p>He stepped into her body again and took a moment to caress her face. She shuddered under his hand, letting herself relax and close his eyes, listen to the sounds of his voice. </p><p>"I can't offer you stability, I can't offer you a willingness to go off gallivanting to who knows where. I've felt trapped in a relationship before and I don't want you to realise when you're my age that you wasted your time on a crush that got too deep when you could've been out realising who you are,"</p><p>She held onto his hand and moved it from her face. They looked away from themselves, distracting themselves withdrawing abstract shapes on the backs of their palms. A rushing blush flooded her cheeks, and his too when she checked.</p><p>Why couldn't he accept that she wanted him? Was he that lacking in self-confidence or had someone taught him wrongly over years of disagreements?</p><p>"How do you know what I'll want in ten years? And why do you get to say what I should do in my thirties," She knocked his forehead with hers and lowered her volume so only he could hear it. "I've done my experimenting, I've had my major bad relationship and my heartbreaking unrequited love. Can't we have this?"</p><p>Their hands broke apart as she ran her hands over his chest. He was lean, not too muscular and not too thin. His scrubs were smooth over her hands as she lifted their heads and prepared their lips to kiss.</p><p>"Why can't we have this? Who told us we couldn't?"</p><p>"No one,"</p><p>Their eyes locked and everything internally stopped, dropping to the floor as her head floated just within her grasp for her to pull herself back together so she could truly enjoy this. </p><p>"Then why don't we give it a try, Len," They chuckled lowly at the nickname. "Why don't we try?"</p><p>She closed the gap and everything snapped back into place again. Her thoughts flew out of her head. His hands drew across her waist, running through the few loose hairs falling out of her bun and holding her still with a single grip.</p><p>They broke but dove back in. She'd never had something like this before. It wasn't passionate, she didn't have the urge to rip their clothes off and truly discover each other right there in the empty sickbay. Instead, it was home. It was warm blankets and old holofilms, family recipes and days spent in bed as snow fell outside.</p><p>He hummed as she pulled away to lay her head on his shoulder and lazily stroke the creases in his undershirt. They stood breathless for a moment before she whispered.</p><p>"How about we have a proper date?"</p><p>"Sounds like a good idea, how about twenty hundred hours in the mess hall on deck eight?"</p><p>"Deck eight? But no one goes there,"</p><p>He gave her that charming smile and her stomach swooped. "Exactly, no one goes there,"</p><p>They met in the middle again and fell into a routine. Her tongue flashed against his bottom lip just as he broke off and twisted his head to plunge in again. His hands grabbed a hunk of her dress in one hand as they bent slightly and bumped into the counter.</p><p>"Ehem, doctor,"</p><p>They turned with a gasp to see the Captain and the First Officer at the door to sickbay. Jim had that goofy smile on his face and Spock simply raised an eyebrow.</p><p>"I was going to say were you listening to Uhura's announcements, but you clearly were occupied," He made a signal for Bones to follow him. "We have a possible concussion on the bridge, come along,"</p><p>Leonard gave a wave to Christine and rubbed his face a few times in a failed attempt to hide the raging red flush on his face. She merely laughed and sipped her coffee as he left sickbay.</p><p>"<em>Captain, did you get McCoy? Chekov says he's feeling drowsy</em>," Uhura's voice said through Jim's communicator.</p><p>"Yes, we have him now, on our way up, Lieutenant,"</p><p>"<em>Where was he Captain, I was beginning to think my transmissions weren't going through,"</em></p><p>"Oh not to worry, Lieutenant, Doctor McCoy was just having a meeting with his nurse," He said with a grin just as he collapsed to the floor after tripping over Leonard's outstretched foot.</p><p>"Oh sorry Captain, did I trip you up?" He said, changing his tone from joking to serious when he added. "And how about we start acting professionally, you know, how we're meant to?"</p><p>Spock gave one of his ghosts of a smile and stated simply, "That seems like far too great of a task for you Doctor, considering how you were just acting with Nurse Chapel,"</p><p>Leonard made mental note to add more security on his office door just as he stepped onto the bridge and caught as woozy Chekov in his arms.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, I wrote this in one night after having a day of major McChapel feels. Also, Christine is born in 2237 in TOS? I always thought she was closer to Bones' age but I guess not.</p><p>I hope you enjoyed this, leave a kudos and a comment if you did!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>